2 Corinthians 8:1-15. Generosity
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The other day, one of my kids asked their sibling for a piece of their waffle. The sibling agreed—and handed over what was basically a cubic millimetre of waffle. Technically, they shared. But it wasn’t exactly generous.
We can all be like that. A teenager might have twenty dollars but give their friend the smallest possible chip. An adult might earn a good income but somehow always find a reason not to give. Sometimes we’re generous. Sometimes we’re really not.
One of my biggest regrets, looking back on my teenage years, is that I didn’t start giving money to church until I was eighteen. I think I had this idea that giving was something adults did once they had a proper job. But the reality is, I’d been getting pocket money for years. I could have started heaps earlier. It might not have been much, but I could have begun learning to be generous with what God had already given me.
So this stuff matters whether you’re a kid, a teenager or an adult. Maybe you get pocket money. Maybe you earn money from a casual job. Maybe you’re deciding what to do with your salary each week. Whatever stage of life you’re in, you have to decide what you’re going to do with what God has given you.
So what does it look like for a Christian to be generous? In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul shows us that generosity grows from grace, is shown by Jesus, and flows willingly to others.
Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to complete a collection for poor Christians in Jerusalem. They’d started raising the money about a year earlier, but they hadn’t finished. In chapters 8 and 9, Paul explains why Christians should be generous and how they should give.
1. Grace Grows Generosity
Paul starts by showing the Corinthians what God’s grace had produced in another group of Christians.
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”
(2 Corinthians 8:1–2, NIV)
The Macedonian churches probably included the Christians in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. They were going through a really hard time. They were suffering, and they were extremely poor—possibly because of persecution and social rejection. And yet they urgently pleaded with Paul to let them contribute to the collection. They gave as much as they could, and even beyond what anyone would have expected.
Paul says they “gave themselves first of all to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). That’s really important. Before they gave their money, they gave themselves to God. They knew they belonged to Jesus—and that everything they had belonged to him as well. That changed how tightly they held onto their stuff.
They didn’t see giving as an annoying obligation. They weren’t trying to hand God the financial equivalent of a cubic millimetre of waffle. They actually wanted to give. They saw it as a privilege.
Why were they so generous? Because they’d experienced God’s grace. Grace is God’s undeserved kindness in saving us through Jesus. When you start to understand how generous God has been to you, generosity starts to grow in you.
Titus had helped the Corinthians begin the collection, and Paul was now sending him back to help them finish it. Think about how much God has given you. Doesn’t that make you want to be generous?
2. Jesus Shows Generosity
The Macedonians are a great example. But Paul then points to the greatest example of generosity: Jesus himself.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
(2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus was rich because he is the eternal Son of God. For all eternity, he had lived in infinite glory, joy and love with the Father and the Holy Spirit. And then God the Son stepped into the mess of this world.
He entered our weakness, our suffering and our brokenness. He was born in humble circumstances, lived among sinful people and eventually gave himself for us on the cross. He didn’t stop being God, but he willingly humbled himself to save us.
Through his poverty, we become rich—not necessarily rich in money, but rich in forgiveness, reconciliation with God and eternal life. Jesus didn’t just give us some stuff. He gave himself for us.
So when you’re feeling stingy, don’t just think, “I need to try harder.” Look to Jesus. Remember what he has already given for you. His generosity doesn’t merely show us what generosity looks like. It changes us and starts to make us generous too.
3. Generosity Flows Willingly
God’s grace doesn’t just make us sit there and admire generosity. It moves us to actually do something.
“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.”
(2 Corinthians 8:11)
The Corinthians wanted to give. That was good. But they needed to finish what they’d started. It’s possible to have lots of generous intentions without ever actually being generous.
Paul says they should give “according to their means.” Someone getting five dollars of pocket money can’t give the same amount as someone earning five thousand dollars a week. God isn’t asking you to give money you don’t have. But he does care about whether you’re willing, whether you’re generous and whether giving actually costs you something.
Jesus once drew his disciples’ attention to a poor widow putting money into the temple treasury. Lots of rich people had given large amounts. Then this widow came along and dropped in two tiny coins—almost nothing. Jesus said she’d put in more than everyone else. Not because the amount was larger, but because they’d given out of their wealth, while she’d given out of her poverty. Her gift was tiny on paper, but massive in sacrifice (Mark 12:41–44).
That’s the thing. Christian generosity isn’t measured only by the size of the gift. It’s also about the heart behind it and the sacrifice involved.
We want to be generous with our time (the hours and attention we give), our treasure (our money and possessions), and our talents (the skills and abilities God has given us). Sometimes people say, “Well, I’m generous with my time and talents, so I don’t need to bother giving money.”
But I don’t think that quite fits with what the Bible talks about, especially here. Paul is talking here about an actual financial collection. God cares about our time and talents, absolutely. But he cares about how we use our money too.
Paul later quotes Exodus 16:18, where God provided manna for Israel:
“The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
(2 Corinthians 8:15)
In the wilderness, some Israelites gathered more manna and others gathered less, but in the end, everyone had enough. God’s provision was meant to meet the needs of the whole community. It wasn’t meant to be hoarded by a few people while everyone else went hungry.
Paul isn’t saying every Christian has to have exactly the same amount of money. He’s not saying everyone has to end up with the exact same house, car or bank balance. He’s saying that when one Christian has plenty and another Christian is in real need, generosity should help close the gap. One person’s abundance can meet another person’s need. God gives us resources to enjoy, yes—but not only for ourselves. He also gives us stuff so that we can care for others. So we should be willing to be generous.
Final Thoughts
So, are you giving willingly and generously?
For a child, generosity might mean sharing properly instead of handing over a cubic millimetre of waffle. For a teenager, it might mean starting to give some of your pocket money or casual-job income now, rather than waiting until you’re eighteen like I did. For an adult, it might mean planning regular giving before the rest of the budget mysteriously disappears.
Many Christians choose to give a percentage of everything they receive. Ten per cent can be a helpful starting point, although the New Testament doesn’t command Christians to give a fixed percentage.
Something I find really helpful is setting up a scheduled bank transfer. Most of us can make a reasonable estimate of what we’re going to earn, so we can decide in advance what we’re going to give and set it up to happen automatically. That removes the chance that we’ll simply forget—which, in my case, would happen a lot—or spend the money first and discover there’s nothing left.
There is a downside. The money can just disappear from your account without you really thinking about it. You can be giving without remembering that you’re giving. But I still reckon it’s worth doing. Instead of putting all your effort into remembering to make the transfer, put some effort into remembering that the transfer has happened. When it goes out, pause and pray for your church, the missionary or the Christian organisation you’re supporting. That way, your giving stays connected to actual people, actual gospel ministry and actual prayer.
So don’t tell yourself you’ll become generous one day when you have heaps more money. Start with what God has given you now. Christian generosity is more than technically sharing the smallest amount we can spare. It grows when we remember the grace of God, look to the generosity of Jesus and willingly use what we have to serve others.
Generosity grows from grace, is shown by Jesus, and flows willingly to others.
Discussion Questions
Pray and Get Going
Q1. Who is the most generous person you know? Why?
Look at 2 Corinthians 8:1–15.
Q2. According to verse 1, why were the Macedonian churches so generous?
Q3. From verses 2–7, how would you describe their generosity?
Q4. According to verses 8–9, how does Jesus model generosity?
Q5. According to verses 10–15, what should Christian generosity look like?
Q6. Which of these do you find hardest?
a. Being generous when things are tough (verses 2–4)
b. Being willing to be generous (verse 12)
c. Making sure your generosity is fair and helps meet the needs of others (verses 13–15)
Q7. What might it look like for you to grow in generosity with:
a. Your time?
b. Your talents (your skills)?
c. Your treasure (your money)?
Pray and Give Thanks
Father, thank you for the grace you have shown us in the Lord Jesus Christ, who became poor so that we might become rich in him. Please grow in us willing, joyful, and fair-hearted generosity, so that our lives reflect your grace to others.
Amen.
